So which RR is best/worst to work for? Yet again...

Hello all. I searched the prev. threads and did not really find the answers that I am looking for plus some of them were kind of old so I started a new thread on this topic. So which RR is best/worst to work for especially as a conductor in terms of pay, and how they treat their employees? Thanks in advance for all your input.

Can I add a poll to this?

Best is BNSF as I read on here all the time. They are just better in every way. I read the CN is 2nd best.

Well, making an educated guess, BNSF and CN, as matawanaberdeen mentioned, seem to be the best, judging from what I have heard.

UP is decent, yet expect to be under the gun (i.e. on the verge of getting fired) A LOT more than BNSF

CSX is evidently atrocious

BNSF and NS are rather polite and friendly during the application process, whereas UP is rather blunt and tactless.

Amtrak... Well, Amtrak has little more to offer than system wide seniority and the potential to return home at night if you are working a regional or commuter job. Other than that, Amtrak has the lowest pay (engineer tops out at 34.35 per hour. Not bad, but low compared to the above mentioned freight carriers)

In other words, my personal preference is:

1. BNSF
2. NS (CN in Canada)
3. UP (CP in Canada)
4. CSX
5. Amtrak

PLEASE remember that I am not employed by any of the above, and that my input is solely based on what I have researched, heard, and gathered from interviews/ hiring sessions.

Yay someone replied thanks. Thought there would be more replies.

All of them are unique in there own way. Read some of the post. The BNSF in some locations fall under old agreements from the predecessor railroads. On a recent post someone questioned about furloughs on the BNSF a response was if you work under the former ATSF agreements they have retention boards. CSX & NS are good railroads to work for they tend to be more aggressive on attendance policies and rules than the UP & BNSF. When it comes down to pay they all make good money. A lot depends on location some southwestern & midwestern parts of the country have longer hauls being on flatter ground compared to mountian regions and milage is a pay factor. Some railroads have gotten away from national union contracts to on property union agreements. The UTU with CSX last year voted in an on property with pay increases plus yearly productivity bonuses & stock awards. NS has their own on property contract so does the BNSF & IC/CN.

I saw no mention of shortlines, which leads me to believe that to qualify in the "best" category that money is a deciding factor; which is perfectly okay. I'm all about the money. I chose to compromise between pay and quality of life; that's why I work for a large shortline. I work a regular schedule with regular days off; even though I work nights. Working nights has its advantages; I am able to make appointments (at the sacrifice of a little sleep) and occasional school functions without marking off. I have worked on more scenic railroads, and warmer (weather-wise) railroads. I've had to consider family, financial need, and military duty when searching for the "best" railroad to work for.

Nothing wrong shortlines. Don't know that much about it. I've known people who left class 1's for shortlines & Amtrak for a better quality of life. I've known some who hired on class 1's from shortlines the biggest change for them was the pace which things are done. They were use to going out and getting the work done instead of on a class 1 frequently there's a lot of wait time till it's your turn to move. It drove a few of them nutz.

eaglestar wrote: 1. BNSF
2. NS (CN in Canada)
3. UP (CP in Canada)
4. CSX
5. Amtrak

I'm not a railroader either, but have been told BNSF is the best, and NS is the absolute worst. CSX, and UP are in the middle.

I've said the before, but I will repeat it:

There's good places to work with lousy railroads, and there's lousy places to work with good railroads. The local management is going to be the ultimate factor. Also, types of trains/jobs there are. If you work at a terminal with lots of locals and yardwork, you can be home every day. But it's more (physical) work than sitting on your butt on a road train all day. Some guys like road trains and being held in hotels all the time.

Different strokes and all that stuff... or to put it another way: they all suck - they just paint their engines different colors.

I don't know how it is with T&E but CSX was a damn fine place to work at when I was in Signals(Train Control) and Roadway. Safety meeting and a meal EVERY month and quarterly safety
awards of a jacket and other things. As long as a person does their job and follows the rules CSX can be an all-right place to work.

eaglestar wrote:Other than that, Amtrak has the lowest pay (engineer tops out at 34.35 per hour. Not bad, but low compared to the above mentioned freight carriers)

100% pay with Amtrak is $35.90 an hour, with overtime after 8 hours (and we get paid for 11 holidays throughout the year). Freight has to run off their miles or trip rate before getting overtime. I'm making far more money with far more time at home as an engineer with Amtrak than I did with the UP, including a set schedule.

New England Central (NECR) is by far one of the best railroads to work at for it's scenic beauty.

kevin.brackney wrote:New England Central (NECR) is by far one of the best railroads to work at for it's scenic beauty.

The scenery here is quite amazing.

Freddy wrote:I don't know how it is with T&E but CSX was a damn fine place to work at when I was in Signals(Train Control) and Roadway. Safety meeting and a meal EVERY month and quarterly safety
awards of a jacket and other things. As long as a person does their job and follows the rules CSX can be an all-right place to work.

The problem these days with CSX is rules change constantly with no clear interpetation of the rule. I did an experiment brought my conductor as a witness went to 2 trainmasters & the road foreman of engines asked the same question concerning a rule. In all three responses there was a difference in interpetation. How are T&E suppose to understand it if management can't get their act together? Safety meeting, cook outs ect...depends on division on the Huntington it's not happening. I walked out & quit the safety committee 3 times which I served for nearly 20 years representing the BLE division which was an elected position not CSX hand picked like it was in the past it was a sham to appease the FRA. Most of the meetings other departments didn't bother showing up. Then when issues were discussed entered in the meeting minutes for the next 6 months it became follow ups-more follow ups-then more follow ups to change a light bulb. CSX could keep their hats, jackets ect...we needed crush run ballast on the switching leads instead of baseball size, we needed old tyes, tye plates ect...cleaned up in the yards to prevent actual slip-trips-and fall hazards ect...If you brought these issues up you were branded a trouble maker. Even some of the union people were bought out. On more than one occasion during breaks I was confronted to stop messing up a good thing. By good thing they meant getting the day off from running trains with pay a meal and a few days during the month to do site inspections if they were actually done. Some of these people were inspecting holes 1 thru 18 on a golf course.